The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Do It Yourself (DITY) Gallery 1946 2 Ton Chevy

Purchased from Larry Sparks (country/bluegrass legend) and you never realize how much work they need. I'm in the process of making a new wiring harness. I have put a modern alternator, fuse block that uses ceramic fuses, cloth covered loom for the wire, 1157 bulb sockets for the front parking lights to use turn signals from the same light. Just to mention a few of the upgrades. Lot's of work done and lot's more to go. I hope to be driving it very soon.

Thanks for the update. Now if you could just post some pics!
Keep us posted.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/rrdomeck/46%20Chevy%202%20ton%20Truck/DSC_0008.jpg

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/rrdomeck/46%20Chevy%202%20ton%20Truck/DSC_0001.jpg

I think I'm doing this right?

Just finished up making a new wiring harness with a single wire alternator. I also made a new exhaust system out of stainless mandrel bent tubing and a stainless muffler. I don't want me or anyone else to have to redo that work that I do!

Will work on brakes next!

Looking good. Thanks for the pics.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/rrdomeck/46%20Chevy%202%20ton%20Truck/100_3981.jpg

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/rrdomeck/46%20Chevy%202%20ton%20Truck/100_3984.jpg

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/rrdomeck/46%20Chevy%202%20ton%20Truck/100_3974.jpg

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/rrdomeck/46%20Chevy%202%20ton%20Truck/100_3983.jpg

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/rrdomeck/46%20Chevy%202%20ton%20Truck/100_3982.jpg

Photo's of the new gas tank, new stainless mandrel bent exhaust, wiring harness, and alternator conversion. I made all these things in my shop. Now it's really time to get those brakes working!

You do nice work! I love that truck! Keep us posted.

I think I'm going to sell this truck. I need to purchase a different every day shop truck and having some of the funds from this would help!

Ok I still have this truck and I should have the brake work done soon. I am hopefully going to end up with front disc brakes from a 15,000lb GVW later model Chevy. Looks pretty easy to do and I already have the dual circuit master figured out! I'll post some pictures soon.

Still working on the truck....It would be nice to drive it soon, but other work has forced me to move this truck out of my main shop. Hopefully I can move it back it shortly and finish up the brake conversion and start driving!

Well, It has been a long time since I have posted up any progress. I did move the truck last year into our new shop. I thought that parking right outside my office door would make me work on it more....Well that didn't work. I have been walking past it a couple hundred times a day.

I have finally started to see some progress.

Things I had done.

-Make new gas tank
-Make new wiring harness
-Convert to 12 volt
-Make new exhaust

I hope to finish up the disc brake conversion this week. I will have to move the exhaust as it is to close to the brake booster that I installed.

Things I need to do before driving

-Upholster seat
-Change all the fluids
-Bleed brakes
-Flush out fuel system (again)
-Finish making the floor board

Should be some updated picture's in the links above

Updated link http://s1006.beta.photobucket.com/u...-Ton%20Chevy%20Disc%20Brake%20Conversion

Randy, keep plugging at it. You ARE making progress. I still stand by my own advice....I try to get in at least 15 minutes everyday except Sunday. Working by yourself it seems nothing is happening but then one day I have to look back and see where I've been....that'll get you motivated.

Thanks for sharing the pics. Keep us posted and the pics flowing.

I have been working a little every day on the truck for the last week or two. I'm close to getting the brakes worked out. Just can't seem to get all the air out of one of the rear lines.

Starting putting the really cool upholstery that I purchased on eBay a couple of years ago and was really disappointed with myself. I should have thought twice about buying new old stock seat covers. The look nice, but are so dried out that I ripped them putting them on. Back to the one that my business partner was making for me!

I'm close. I am going to have to purchase at least two new rear tires. Will probably go with all four. I started trying to figure out how to demount the tires. Doesn't look that complicating, but it does look like a little bit of work.

I'm really hoping for a spring drive time....

You may want to ask the guys in the Big Bolt Forum. They're pretty darn good on the big stuff. Good luck.

I finally drove it around the block today...With brakes! Had someone follow me as I didn't have brake lights hooked up yet.

I did get the rear lights wired up, floor board made, insulation installed, floor mat made and installed and the header panel installed tonight.

Just have to get a fitting to install the brake light switch and I should be able to drive it up and fill the tank up with gas. It has been sitting a long time and the fuel is close to turning bad! Oh and pick up the rear tires that my brother-in-law picked up for me for free!

Well, My trip to the gas station ended up with someone pulling me back to the shop.

I have a glass fuel bowl at the bottom of the tank and I looked and there was fuel in it..... Just enough to fill the bowl, but not enough to keep the fuel pump from sucking air. It's the obvious things that sometimes escape me.

Driving great. It made it's first deliveries in who knows how many years yesterday. I made new mirror brackets tonight.

http://s1006.photobucket.com/user/r...1274_zpsd7ad4f06.jpg.html?sort=3&o=7

My hope is to get all the problems fixed this year while driving it and then maybe bust it apart next winter and do a quick restore.

Still going well. I did swap over to Pertronix ignition and it lasted about 2 miles before it burnt up. The new version gets its signal from the lobes on the distributor. I don't like this design as it doesn't give you any room to adjust. May not be an issue if you had a new distributor. I then put the points back in and didn't change the Pertronix coil. The coil burnt up the points..... Went back to the trusty Bosch Blue coil and points! Works just fine!

About 6 months of driving and was doing great, but the smoke in the cab was pretty bad. I decided to pull the engine and do a quick rebuild. I'm glad I did. Found a bunch of cracks in the exhaust manifold and a few in the intake manifold.

Also found that it had standard bore pistons in it and the holes at the bottom were about .020 over and about .040 over at the top. No wonder it had so much blow by coming out of the vent!

Good news is that I was able to spend the day and take the block from being bare to assembled and painted. Hopefully will reseal the transmission tomorrow and put the rest of the parts back on.

I need this thing to be running to make some deliveries.

http://s1006.photobucket.com/user/r...1298_zps79d20ee8.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2

Color looks much better in person. A little darker and a little bluer!

Will with a little scare with the engine hoist last night trying to wrestle the engine with the transmission hooked to back in I pulled it back out, set it on the ground and went home.

I hooked the engine to the forklift and got it in tonight. It is bolted into the frame and will hopefully spend the day tomorrow hooking everything up and here it run.

I was able to remove and install the engine and transmission as one unit with removing the sheet metal on the front. The only thing I removed was the radiator and the floor board. And of course the shifter from the transmission...

I also bought a cheap flatbed that needs some help. It will work for now until I can build a more period correct one to use. The bed that is currently installed is built from tongue and grove 2X6's and it is impossible to tie anything down to it.

Should have this running just in time for our 14" of snow and -14 high temps.

Some progress but... I have no oil pressure. Pulling the distributor in the morning and hope that is my problem. At least everything is back in and it looks pretty.

I ended up adding an electric fan in place of the factory one. I didn't notice that the pulley was to large to clear the fan rivets. It had been running like this, but the fan also had some cracks in it that I welded up. Figured the electric fan would be a good upgrade as I have been using this truck all summer to make deliveries with my business.

oh and I added a very large heater. I lost most of my glove box, but I really wasn't using that anyway. I will probably add a small tray under the dash for storage when I get a chance. The heater is the largest one that Jegs sells. I will have two defrost vents and two under dash/floor vents.

Well, the distributor wasn't setting down far enough. It now runs with oil pressure. Just need to set the timing and wait for a little snow to melt to take a drive.

SUPER..... boy, I know your sleeping better now.

Drove it to lunch today... It did great in the snow and I really appreciated the heat in 20 degree temps. Will be putting some more miles on it this weekend and next week. Then pull it in and pull all the brake components off to reproduce them and maybe swap the bed out for one that I can tie something down to.

Well, I used the truck all summer and pulled it in to do another final fitment of the caliper brackets for the front.... While it was in, my business partner suggested that I pull the wheels off and have them blasted so I could paint them and get 4 tires on the ground in the back as I had only been running three for the last couple of years.

I ended up doing a couple of rounds of priming and blocking on them and even mounted 4 new tires in the back to match the newer ones in the front.

Now the wheels look way to nice for the truck. So, I'm going to pull the cab off in the next month so I can have it blasted and get the body work done and paint it the week between Christmas and new years.

Should be a busy winter!

I didn't make the Christmas break for the paint work.... But I do have some of my guys pulling it apart last week and this week. Most of the parts minus the cab are ready for blasting. Those will go tomorrow and the cab hopefully next week.

Luckily we are a little slow with my business in January and have been able to put some guys on this instead of sending them home. May be painted by end of February.... "May" being the key word!

More progress. My guys have done some of the body work and a few parts are in primer as well as some of the black parts being painted like the radiator shell, fender mounts, etc.

I'll try to post up some new picks to the photo bucket link.

A few photo's uploaded. http://s1006.photobucket.com/user/r...hevy%202%20ton%20Truck?sort=3&page=1

Some parts may get into paint this week. Cab has a little metal work left. Now I need to find some interior color codes...

My exterior maybe... https://www.flickr.com/photos/muskrat5489/7068923855/sizes/l

I'm thinking a grey main color with orange above the belt line and maybe blue fender with a blue belt line.

Will see when parts start getting painted. Don't want it to end up looking like a clown truck!

Some paint has been going on to the interior.... Will post up some photo's tomorrow!

A few photo's. http://s1006.photobucket.com/user/r...2633_zpsded72663.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3

Cab in the first round of primer (slick sand). Most of the other parts are ready for paint or have paint on them. May be setting the painted cab back on the frame next weekend.

One of the quickest body restorations I have been able to do! I owe a big thanks to all my help in the shop. They have been the ones that have been doing most of the body work!

More soon,

Hey Randy, nice show! Team work always wins. Thanks for the update. I'm jealous!

It's painted.... http://s1006.photobucket.com/user/r...on%20Truck/IMG_2647_zps9e41d5a0.jpg.html

Came out a little too nice! I used factory paint codes and really can't wait to get this thing together...

More VERY soon.

Lookin' gooooood! I have serious rim envy. Great way to show them off.

Front end is coming together...

http://s1006.photobucket.com/user/r...2661_zpspscmq9ik.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2

And some other parts have found there way on...

http://s1006.photobucket.com/user/r...on%20Truck/IMG_2665_zpsvhjotflj.jpg.html

I just might be able to drive this this weekend.... Might being the key word!

So, So close. Got my master reservoir bushings made to mount the reservoir's on the firewall. Some interior stuff done. Might be able to finish up this weekend!

With any luck I will drive this to lunch tomorrow... And post a pictures of it outside!

Randy, that truck is just flat-out cool!

Brad

http://s1006.photobucket.com/user/r...2716_zpsieekkvgc.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3

I will be driving this tomorrow. Still waiting on a few parts to come in, but it is back to being road worthy.

Disassembled after Christmas 2014.... Not a bad turn around time! 3 months

Looking good!